Making French onion soup from scratch can be a lengthy process, especially if you don't have any pre-caramelized onions on hand. If you plan ahead, a slow cooker can do almost all the work for you.

Properly caramelizing onions takes time, and while there are some things you can do to try and speed up the process, there's the chance you won't get the flavor you're after. Faith Durand at cooking blog The Kitchn suggests that a slow cooker will do all the heavy listing instead. Chop up a few onions and throw them in the slow cooker with some butter, olive oil, salt, pepper. Cook it overnight on the low setting—or for at least 12 hours. Boom, a whole batch of caramelized onions. In the morning, add the broth and other ingredients, and let it cook on the low setting for another six to eight hours.

When it's dinner time, ladle some soup into some oven safe bowls, add the toast and some Gruyere cheese, and bake in the oven until the cheese is melted. Broil the serving bowls for a couple minutes to get a nice brown, bubbly top and you're ready to eat. Slow cookers just make some things so much easier, and French onion soup is a delicious, savory dish. For the complete guide and ingredient options, check out the link below.